Mohave County miner., 1887-01-29
CRUELTY 70 Hlsou WIDOWS.
The Fast Of widowhood--Writhins N
nm Agony of Thirst and Hunger.

nm Agony of Thirst and Hunger
The most severely felt injunction OF
/ custom upon the widows Is tnat OF fast.
| ing for two days every month during
| the whole period Of her widowhood, that
Is, till the last month OF her life. The
Observance is called ekadasi, s:i,ich is q
Sanskrit word meaning 'tbs eleventh, (
called from the fact that the widow abb
stains from all food ON the eleventh day
OF each of TIE two fortnights into which
the Hindu lunar month Is divided. This
ekadasi Is strict fast: nothing in the
shape Of liquid or solid can be touched
By the widow: even n drop of water Is
forbidden to her for the whole OF TWEEN
iy.Iour hours on those two days OF the
month. Taere Is no trace of this strin-
gent rule anywhere ia the V1das or in
tiie ancient literature Of the Hindus.
Minu enjoins system OF frequent
abstinence, but nowhars in the Hindu
books os old on laws aud obs ryances
is it ordained that Hindu widow must
pass two days in every month with.
cut touching, even atthe risk OF her
yation OF later date, rs are great many
OF the present customs ani ceremonies
observed by the natives OF liidia.
Under the joint family system OF the
natives Of India there an, very few Hindu
Lofises where either widowed daUsl.
ter or a dlughit .-in.law can not be
found, and the sulIeflpgs OF these young
widows on their ckadasi days are simply
beyond description. Ia the middle Of
tire fasting day you will find the young
widowed daughter wiitliing in agony OF
t..irst and hunger. her aged mother sit
TIM, silently by her and shedding tears
at the pangs OF her bereayed child, who
can not. for fear OF siia ne and ridicule.
even give vent TO her feelings by the
only way left to her--bs weeping; her
face is deadly pale through want OF
food, her eyss are bhaed with racking
rain, and her lips parchsd with terrible
thirst. Perhaps she hears the noise OF
dropping water; she at once turns her
eyes towards it, she looks hard ut it. but |
she uares not ntter a word. She long
ingly watches the course Of the water as
IT reaches the courtyard; adog passes by |
and drinks Of 1t, but she cannot touch it. |
She draws away her eyes from it and |
mutters to herself: ''O!s what Elm have |
we committed that God has made us
widows even worse than do2s!n She |
casts look Of despair at her mother. |
Bnt the mother is helpless. Tie ordi-
narces OF custom lilst he rigidly fol- |
lowed. Her heart breaks at the sight of !
her daughters agoRiss. but the rules Of |
Shas,ras can not be broken. They say
that it is written in the Shastras that the /
widow who drinks water tnot TO speak
of taking any food) and the person who
gives her water on the day of eladasi |
are both damned b eternal perdition.
The timilly supcrs;itious Hindu mother
can not dare the risk OF the perpetual
Of her soul to hell for the
sake Of a!!eviating the auiTerings of her
widowed daughter.
In many houscs you viii see an aged,
invalid widow, lying piostrate on her
fasting day, ln2 gard anil einaciatei. her
daughters sitting around her. II is the
middle OF Indian Sura.ner; everything il
Blazing with torril heat. The pt,or
widow can hardly get up through age
and Illness, and there on SO scorching
Day she goes through her fast without
particle Of fool OF drop Of
water. The daughters are trying their
best to scothe and comfort her, but she
lies almost ia an inaerisiDle state. All 4.
ynce her eyes opp,i, slIg, looks hard mt
oas of hes daughters and most bcseeSli-
ngly asks for litiic water. They look
At her belplcssly and tell her: ID, ar
mother, to day Is ekpiasi, water is for
bidden." The wretcbed widow is in
STATE Of delirtum, sine has lost her ,nem-
1ry. Again ani srain sire implores hes
daughters for drop of water saying:
! am dying. pray give me water" They
IAN not EeIr this sight any more. they
JaEst into tcars-but they dare not grant
heir niptlier's prayer. They only try to
comfort her by saying that directly the
li&ht paescs away she shall have water.
Bnt. ala! The night may not pass away
or the widow; perhaps she suc,nmbs ta
Ier mortal thirst ~ a fesv ht,ars. and
hiH dies = victim To the custom of man.
-Dtvendran Dds in Nineteenth Gen.
ury. E..0..